Declaring an independent southern Yemeni state would pave the way for entering the Abraham Accords, the deputy chairman of Yemen's Presidential Council Aidarous Al Zubaidi told The National in an interview.
The president of the Southern Transitional Council said all the conditions were in place for statehood and added that secession would allow the south to make its own foreign policy decisions, including the option of joining the Abraham Accords.
“Before the events in Gaza, we were advancing towards joining the Abraham Accords,” he said. “If Gaza and Palestine regain their rights, the Accords will be essential for stability in the region. When we have our southern state, we will make our own decisions and I believe we will be part of these accords.”
Israel has repeatedly attacked Yemen in air strikes on Houthi militants, notably in the rebel-held capital Sanaa and the port of Hodeidah. The Houthis regularly fire missiles at Israel, achieving a relatively rare hit on Wednesday when a drone fell in the city of Eilat.
Yemen's eight-member Presidential Council leads the anti-Houthi, internationally recognised government in exile in Aden. The secessionist Southern Transitional Council holds three of those eight seats.
Mr Al Zubaidi spoke to The National in New York as the UN General Assembly meets, with the Middle East high on the agenda. A group of aid workers called on leaders to take "urgent and decisive action" to address a humanitarian crisis in Yemen after years of conflict.
Mr Al Zubaidi stressed that southerners in Yemen see themselves as ready for independence. “The south is liberated and we are protecting our borders,” he said. “Politically and geopolitically, we are ready. We only need to announce independence and for others to recognise us”.
He argued that independence would not only isolate the Houthis in the north but also provide clarity for international partners.
“As the situation becomes more complicated, we feel we could announce [independence] at any time. Southerners already control their land, the army and the police are there,” he explained.
From 1967 until unification in 1990, the country was divided between North Yemen and the socialist People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen in the south. That history, he said, makes the idea of two Yemeni states again neither unusual nor impossible.
“The main challenge is asking our partners to approve our right of self-determination and begin the transition phase,” he said. “We are hopeful that supporting countries will help liberate the north from the Houthis, and the south to gain its independence.”
Peace process 'frozen'
Mr Al Zubaidi described the peace process as stalled. “The peace process has stopped and is frozen," he said. "After the Houthis’ attacks, there is no real prospect. The attacks changed the whole calculus. We are in a state of neither war nor peace."
He welcomed decisions to designate the Houthis as a terrorist group, calling them weakened and isolated.
“The Houthis tried to invest in their regional role by attacking Israel, but their attacks are weak and not impactful,” he said. "They are now in a very weak position, and their actions have only added to the misery of the Yemeni people."
Mr Al Zubaidi acknowledged the economic hardship facing Yemen’s internationally recognised government. With oil making up 70 per cent of the state budget, revenue has been slashed since Houthi strikes on export facilities.
“The Prime Minister and the government are trying their best but the situation is very difficult and very expensive,” he said. “We need serious efforts to restart exports again, so we can improve conditions for our people.”
He credited Saudi Arabia and the UAE with keeping the economy afloat. “They have provided a lot over the years, financially and in energy. Without their help, everything would have collapsed."
On security, he highlighted the challenges of Yemen’s southern coastline. “We are trying to maintain security with what we have, but the main challenge is confronting extremist cells,” he said. “The coast is very long, and there is migration and narcotics smuggling. Many countries are helping us but the plans to improve border security are very limited.”
Mr Al Zubaidi framed independence not just as a local aspiration but as part of a wider commitment to stability in the region. “We support the two-state solution – a Yemeni state in the north and in the south – and a Palestinian state alongside Israel,” he said. “Self-determination is a right. All people have the right to determine their future.”
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
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Plastic tipping points
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Profile of RentSher
Started: October 2015 in India, November 2016 in UAE
Founders: Harsh Dhand; Vaibhav and Purvashi Doshi
Based: Bangalore, India and Dubai, UAE
Sector: Online rental marketplace
Size: 40 employees
Investment: $2 million
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PREMIER LEAGUE FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
West Ham United v Tottenham Hotspur (3.30pm)
Burnley v Huddersfield Town (7pm)
Everton v Bournemouth (7pm)
Manchester City v Crystal Palace (7pm)
Southampton v Manchester United (7pm)
Stoke City v Chelsea (7pm)
Swansea City v Watford (7pm)
Leicester City v Liverpool (8.30pm)
Sunday
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Monday
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Tomorrow 2021
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
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Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
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Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
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Price: Dh13,200,000
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Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
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0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
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- Power: 640hp
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PROFILE OF HALAN
Started: November 2017
Founders: Mounir Nakhla, Ahmed Mohsen and Mohamed Aboulnaga
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Sector: transport and logistics
Size: 150 employees
Investment: approximately $8 million
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The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
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Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
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Wayne Rooney (Everton) Free transfer
Adnan Januzaj (Real Sociedad) £9.8 million
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What sanctions would be reimposed?
Under ‘snapback’, measures imposed on Iran by the UN Security Council in six resolutions would be restored, including:
- An arms embargo
- A ban on uranium enrichment and reprocessing
- A ban on launches and other activities with ballistic missiles capable of delivering nuclear weapons, as well as ballistic missile technology transfer and technical assistance
- A targeted global asset freeze and travel ban on Iranian individuals and entities
- Authorisation for countries to inspect Iran Air Cargo and Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines cargoes for banned goods
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How much sugar is in chocolate Easter eggs?
- The 169g Crunchie egg has 15.9g of sugar per 25g serving, working out at around 107g of sugar per egg
- The 190g Maltesers Teasers egg contains 58g of sugar per 100g for the egg and 19.6g of sugar in each of the two Teasers bars that come with it
- The 188g Smarties egg has 113g of sugar per egg and 22.8g in the tube of Smarties it contains
- The Milky Bar white chocolate Egg Hunt Pack contains eight eggs at 7.7g of sugar per egg
- The Cadbury Creme Egg contains 26g of sugar per 40g egg
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
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About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
Number of staff: 4
Funding to date: Bootstrapped
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UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
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UAE finals day
Friday, April 13
Rugby Park, Dubai Sports City
3pm, UAE Conference: Dubai Tigers v Sharjah Wanderers
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